George Loftus Comic Reviews

There’s an energy in this book that feels youthful and optimistic, almost like a rebuke of the Absolute Universe. While the at times almost saccharine veneer comes crashing down in the final pages with a spooky villain reveal, Absolute Flash #13 continues the wonderful Flash tradition of being the only Absolute book that gives me hope their world isn’t screwed, and that there might just be a happy ending after all.

Absolute Green Lantern #12 continues to build excitement and turn everything you know about Green Lantern on its head. New interpretations of once seemingly familiar characters are constantly being pushed to their limits in interesting ways and the mystery at the center of them all continues to drive the momentum of this book.

All-New Spider-Gwen Ghost-Spider #8 is the kind of Spidey story I want. It uses its superhero template to explore extremely human themes like guilt, intention, and coping, all wrapped up in a compelling mystery that uses the Spidey rogues gallery to excellent effect.

Batgirl’s return to Gotham happened at just the right time. She brought back elements of her globetrotting adventure that make Gotham feel both bigger and more personal all at once. Her supporting cast continues to develop and even well-worn wrinkles of her past are presented in new and entertaining ways that make them feel more fresh than familiar.

Just as soon as she returned to Gotham, Batgirl left it for a fun and dangerous adventure in the Spirit World with her supporting cast and new/old ally, Wu Lin. It was a relatively quiet issue for Batgirl, learning how to control her affliction and turn it into an advantage, and seeing familiar faces become powerful threats to her and her found family. Top of mind is Jaya Jayesh and how she fits into Batgirl’s world as they and others square up for a final duel in the Spirit World.

All said and done, I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t enjoy this book. Batman/Superman: World's Finest is breezy, weird, and it’s so beautiful it’s quietly setting the standard of how I want DC superheroes to look all the time. Despite a quick resolution to a story that feels like it could’ve, and maybe even should have, lasted significantly longer, I don't really care. This book explodes with charm in every panel, and that final page reveal gives me confidence this story, thankfully, isn't over yet.

While I’m not dying to find out what happens next, I’m admittedly curious to see what where the story goes. These are likable characters that are well-written, drawn impeccably, and doing the most banal thing in the strangest scenario that I can’t help but recommend it to anyone looking for a lower-stakes book to remind you all the things comics can be any given Wednesday.

First issues are hard to do. A final page reveal is sometimes more than enough to get audiences to come back the next month, but how do you keep momentum going when the twist is revealed? Bleeding Hearts #2 is nothing like its first issue yet somehow might be even more ambitious while telling a, technically, more grounded story that’s completely engrossing and gorgeously rendered by a creative team operating at the peak of their powers.

The story that Torunn Grønbekk and artists Patricio Delpeche and Danilo Beyruth (not to mention Marianna Ignazzi, and Fabiana Mascolo on previous issues) have created is so masterfully succinct and compelling, it should find its way onto everyone's pull list. It's sexy, it's smart, it's dangerous, and it feels different than every other DC book on the stands. Best of all, while technically part 17 of the All-In era, this issue marks the beginning of a whole new story, making it a great jumping on point for new readers.

Daredevil and Punisher clash physically and philosophically right to the end. In this final issue, they present their case for the best way to establish justice in an unjust world. While it's a satisfying end, it feels like the creative team still has gas in the tank.

Dungeons of Doom 2 keeps up all the spooky-scary visuals of the first issue and doubles down on them, using cut-out characters as a means to keep showing the reader cool and terrifying images that will stay with you way longer than any of the forgettable characters.

Dungeons of Doom #3 finishes as strong as it started, and looks grosser and more violent than ever thanks to a large art team that nailed their individual assignments. Johnson and Percy played to their strengths and brought about a pretty satisfying conclusion to a book that was pretty clearly more about the journey, and even managed to lay some hints about what to expect from their work in the future.

Mark Waid and Cantwell manage the impressive feat of packing so much new heart into the climax of a story that centers on one we already know the ending to. The Flash gets a new creative team next month and it’s easy to be excited about what the future holds for the character, but I’m just so impressed at how they handled what the past already held for him.

The Flash is back with a new creative team that sets up an exciting new and relevant tone for Wally West and his supporting characters, and in the process make the perfect jumping-on point for new readers. With gorgeous art and fun characterization, The Flash seems to be in good hands for the foreseeable future.

G.I. Joe Sssilent Missions: Baroness #1 tells a fast paced action story that looks so incredible I accidentally flipped through it four times before I really sat down to read it. It’s a gorgeous book that has, what I found to be, a somewhat convoluted ending that may have been alleviated with a little exposition or dialogue. That said, I’m glad it wasn’t there, because covering up any of Joëlle Jones art is probably a crime in most states.

It’s easy to get mad at something that wastes your time. Thankfully, while Hulk: Smash Everything #3’s last page puts Hulk back where he was at the end of last issue, it doesn’t feel like nothing happens. Everything happened. The entire lifespan of the universe happened. The most important thing that happened though? Hulk smashed. Hulk smashed so good.

This series so far has proven to be a great classic Hulk story for those not as interested in the Eldritch folk horror take happening in Infernal Hulk. It’s loud, it’s absurd, and in every issue so far Hulk has done something I’ve never seen him do. What more could you ask for?

This is the most cosmic-feeling book of the post-Imperial Marvel line and it’s likely coming to an end before it was supposed to, which is a huge bummer. The team is weird and interesting, doing work that seems like somebody has to do, and making unexpected calls that would feel out of place anywhere else in the Marvel Universe. There’s a simmering mystery underneath the explosive action that’s planting the seeds for future stories, I just hope we get a chance to see it through.

The parts of JSA 17 are greater than its sum. There’s a clear distinction between the past and present of these iconic characters - they feel familiar but act like young, naive versions of themselves. The art makes you feel like you’re looking at the past, and the story itself feels like what you want a fun, Golden Age conspiracy to be. All that said though, as we approach the final chapter it feels more like it’s going through the motions than fighting its way to the top of my read pile.

JSA #18 provides a fun and explosive finale that occasionally hits some pretty high notes and never any low ones. While I still don’t think it lives up to the high expectations of the name it invokes, it’s nonetheless an entertaining conclusion to a story that is a solid starting place for readers curious about the Justice Society of America and what they mean to the greater DC Universe.

Magic: The Gathering: Untold Stories - Jace #1 was a refreshing emphasis on the people, places, and things that make Magic the Gathering so special. It was made for fans, but maybe fans like me—someone who hasn’t been to an FNM or prerelease in a while, but still loves the world of MTG. The art is more than serviceable, but not nearly as special as the world it's portraying.

An interesting world for a newbie like me, Murder Drones #1 is steeped in humor and vibrant art, telling a class-consciousness revenge story replete with likable characters and a villain you can't help but root against.

Planet She-Hulk #5 gives Jen the platform to actualize change on the war-torn Sakaar en Nevo and shows the title is more than just a reference to a beloved Hulk story from 20 years ago. With sharp commentary and chills-inducing moments, it delivers a fun penultimate issue that's very fun to look at.

Royals #1 is a new series from Image comics that takes a pretty fun and underserved genre, card playing, and adds a slight super-power twist. The art is bubbly and fun, the conversation is natural sounding, and to be honest, it’s a little refreshing seeing people with a preternatural gift use it to be jerks and schemes of self-gain. There are moments of immaturity countered by moments of sweetness that show these characters are deeper than they seem.

Though it hits pause on the saga of Sigurd Jarlson for a month, The Mortal Thor #8 is a welcome break from the world of mortals. Exploring the realms through Magi’s youthful idealism has been a breath of fresh air that reinvigorates and reminds the reader this story is bigger than a New York City borough. The through line that opens the book, gives it structure in the middle, and closes it out is a neatly presented conceit that reinforces the fragility of these characters and the depths they’re willing to go.

Void Rivals #28 stalls the momentum of the Quintesson War to a crawl. A few interesting tidbits happen here and there, but not enough to make this feel less like halftime of a story when it should feel like we’re building towards something more climactic.

What Tom King and Daniel Sampere are cooking up in Wonder Woman #31 feels like an event. The Wonder War has the high stakes drama and little verbal knife twists that drive a book into your brain and make you think about for days after you finish reading it. It makes you go back and re-read the previous issues to see if there were more hints you missed. Then it makes you go back to the beginning of the run and tie red string to cork boards like a true lunatic.